


Kiss Me Once ('Cause You Know I Had A Long Night)

by Signsofsam



Series: I Hate Accidents (Except When We Went From Friends To This) [5]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Domestic, Drabble, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Future Fic, M/M, Not Beta Read, One Shot, Slice of Life, idek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:41:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22779643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Signsofsam/pseuds/Signsofsam
Summary: “Mijo, whatever you said, I’m sure you can fix it. What did you say?”“I said he wasn’t my father.”And...yikes.Eddie knew that wasn’t true; Buck was just as much Chris’ father as he was. Not only did the adoption paperwork say as much, but Buck’s entire being revolved around his sister, his job, his fire family, his husband, and, most importantly, his boy, and he never saw himself as anything but Chris’ dad. It probably stung to hear his son sling such hurtful words at him, probably touched on a fear deep inside, that he wasn’t worthy of being Chris’ father, that he wasn’t doing a good enough job.Just...yikes.
Relationships: Christopher Diaz & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1), Evan "Buck" Buckley & Christopher Diaz, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Series: I Hate Accidents (Except When We Went From Friends To This) [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1584202
Comments: 38
Kudos: 982
Collections: 9-1-1 Tales





	Kiss Me Once ('Cause You Know I Had A Long Night)

**Author's Note:**

> So, the next story was supposed to be happy and involve Buck and Abuela, but...well...that didn't happen, and instead, I give you this slightly angsty ball of soft fluff.
> 
> Story title is from _Paper Rings_ (as is the title for the entire series) by, of course, Taylor Swift.

The house is quiet when Eddie enters it, and he automatically _knows_ something is wrong. The only sure thing in the Buckley-Diaz house is that it is never, ever quiet in the afternoon; someone’s always shouting, or listening to music, or watching TV, or cooking, or doing _something_ that keeps the living area loud with life. Except for today, when it’s all quiet in the open living room, and there’s no Buck or Chris to be seen. Frowning, Eddie glances out the glass doors to the back-yard--nothing but Chris’ toys there--before dropping his bag, heading towards Chris’ room.

“Chris?” he calls, knocking on the door before opening it. Chris is there, sitting on his bed, comic discarded to his side, and it’s pretty obvious he’s been crying. “Christopher? What’s wrong? Where’s Buck?”

“I said something bad, to Bucky. I hurt him,” Chris manages to get out, rubbing at his eyes, and Eddie’s heart breaks a little for his son. “I didn’t...I didn’t mean it, Daddy. It just...I was upset and it came out and I want to take it back but I can’t and Bucky’s so upset with me now.”

Eddie sits beside his son, pulling him into a hug, and it’s like something loosens, and the sobs come. Eddie runs his hand up and down Chris’ back, whispering nonsense into his curls as he cries. He’s still not entirely sure what happened, but whatever it is is eating at his eleven-year-old’s heart, and Eddie has to fix that first. “ _Mijo_ , whatever you said, I’m sure you can fix it. What did you say?”

“I said he wasn’t my father.”

And... _yikes_. 

Eddie knew that wasn’t true; Buck was just as much Chris’ father as he was. Not only did the adoption paperwork say as much, but Buck’s entire being revolved around his sister, his job, his fire family, his husband, and, most importantly, his boy, and he never saw himself as anything but Chris’ dad. It probably stung to hear his son sling such hurtful words at him, probably touched on a fear deep inside, that he wasn’t worthy of being Chris’ father, that he wasn’t doing a good enough job.

Just... _yikes_.

Eddie took a deep breath as Chris’ cries played out, and he pulled away, just a bit, to look his son in the eye. “Why would you say that, Christopher?”

“I just...I wanted to watch...watch TV but he sa-said I had to do homework first and I did-didn’t want to do it and I got...got...I got angry.” Chris doesn’t usually speak this fast, but it all comes tumbling out in one halting, stammering go, and Eddie sighs. “But I...I didn’t mean it, Dad. I love Bucky. He’s my father, just...just like you and I-I….what if he doesn’t _want_ to be...be anymore?”

“ _Mijo_ -” Eddie’s not particularly sure what to say here, so he just strokes Chris’ back, waiting for him to calm down again. Finally, Chris pulls away, red-rimmed eyes watching him pitifully.

“I didn’t mean it.”

“I know, but you _did_ say it and you _did h_ urt Buck’s feelings. So the real question is, what do you do now?”

“I should say sorry.”

“You definitely should.”

“And tell Bucky I love him.”

“That too.”

“And...and next time I should...should listen. And do...do my homework when asked.”

Eddie smiles, kissing Chris’ forehead. “You should most definitely do that, too. Have you done your homework yet?” Chris shook his head, and Eddie stood from the bed, helping his son up. “Well, why don’t you go work on that now, and I’m going to go talk to Buck, and then I’ll fix us something for dinner, hmm?”

“You should...you should ground me.”

“Oh, I should, should I?”

“I was dis...disrespectful. And argu...argumentative. And I hurt Bucky’s feelings.”

“You seem to have punished yourself enough, bud. How about we say no video games for two weeks instead? And you have to do your homework as soon as you get home. And maybe try being extra kind to Bucky for awhile?” Chris nods eagerly, and Eddie smiles, ruffling Chris’ curls one more time before they headed to the dining room. He made sure Chris was set up in a chair with his homework in front of him before he looked to the closed door of the master bedroom. “I’ll be back in a minute, Chris,” he finally says, taking a breath before heading down the hall.

Their room is dark, and Buck is on the bed, back to the door, when Eddie enters. “I heard you had a rough afternoon,” he starts as he walks around to the other side of the bed, kneeling in front of his husband, carding a hand through sandy, unkempt hair, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“I’ve been done in by the cutting words of an eleven-year-old,” Buck whispers a few moments later, blue eyes opening, and Eddie laughs. “Don’t worry, I was keeping an ear out in case he needed me.”

“I wasn’t worried. You’d do anything for our boy.” He emphasizes the _our_ , to put to rest any of Buck’s doubts. “He really is sorry. And I hope you know you **are** his father, just as much as I am.”

“He doesn’t seem to see it that way,” Buck mutters, sitting up, and Eddie sighs, leaning his forehead against Buck’s knees, on top of their interlaced-fingers. “I just-it was a gut punch to hear him say it out loud.”

“Buck, Chris isn’t perfect, even if you think he is. He gets angry and upset and explodes just like the rest of us, and when he does, he says things he knows are gonna hurt, but it’s all just in the heat of the moment. Do you know how many times he said he hated me after Shannon died, when I couldn’t bring her back? He didn’t mean that, just like he didn’t mean you weren’t his father. But what he does mean is that he loves you, so, so much. And he’s very sorry. And he’s worried that you’re not going to want to be his dad anymore.”

He glances up, and Buck’s face is...there’s horror and concern in his eyes. “Eddie, there’s nothing on Earth that could make me stop being his father now,” he says, and Eddie smiles, stretching up to kiss him.

“I know that, Evan. Just like I know that he loves you just like he loves me, as his _father_. In fact, you’ve finally come to the test of fatherhood: your child has said something mean and broken your heart just a little.” He squeezes Buck’s hands, making sure he has his husband’s attention as he presses a kiss to his wedding ring. “How you act now determines if you pass that test or not.” He stands then, sneaking one last kiss in before he pulls away. “I’m going to go get dinner done. It'll be about thirty minutes before it’s ready?” (And really, that means _you’ve got about thirty more minutes to get your shit back together, Buckley, before you have to come be an adult_ ) Buck gives him a nod, and he leaves, back to the kitchen to put on the leftover lasagna Carla had made for them in the oven, Chris working quietly at the table, glancing uncertainly back at the closed bedroom door every few minutes.

Half an hour later, Eddie pulls the warmed lasagna out of the oven and starts to plate it, but there’s still no sign or sound from the missing Buckley-Diaz, and Chris’ face fall. “I can...I can eat in my room, if that would make Bucky come...come out. He should-”

The bedroom door opens then, and Chris’ pencil clatters to the table as he struggles to get out of his seat, grabbing his crutches haphazardly as he starts towards his dad. Buck still looks a little rough, eyes puffy and hair disheveled, but he wraps Chris in a tight hug when the boy stumbles into him, lifting him easily, leaving the crutches in the hall for later. Eddie can hear Chris’ frantic apologies and “I love you so much, Bucky”s and “you’re my father, too, I _promise_ ” as Buck carries him back to the table. Eddie’s heart swells when he makes out Buck’s murmurs of “it’s okay, Superman,” and “I forgive you” and “I won’t ever stop loving you”, his hand running through his son’s curls in an attempt to soothe the boy. His eyes find Eddie’s and he smiles, one of his brilliant, blinding smiles, like his world is back to rights.

And if Eddie murmurs a “passed with flying colors” into Buck’s hairline as he gives him both a kiss and his lasagna just to see his husband flush with pride, who can really blame him?

**Author's Note:**

> Honest story note: I just don't see Chris calling Buck anything _but_ Buck, no matter if he's his dad or not, so....he's his Bucky ***shrug***.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, and thanks in advance for any comments/kudos. Next story should be Buck and Abuela. Maybe. If all goes according to plan.


End file.
